Bottle for holding and cooperating applicator for applying fluid cosmetics and the like



Oct. 7, 1969 M. MELoccHl BOTTLE FOR HOLDING AND COOPERATING APPLICATOR FOR APPLYING FLUID COSMETICS AND THE LIKE 1 Filed Jan. 30. 1967 E MAPAQ MELoccm United States Patent O Int. c1. A46b 17/08; B43k 7/12 U.S. Cl. 401-122 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a combination of an applicator for fluid cosmetics with a special bottle for holding the uid. The applicator and bottle are so constructed as to prevent the applicator from carrying an excess of fluid with it, when the applicator is withdrawn from the bottle.

Background of the invention This invention relates to fluid cosmetics and particularly those known as eye-liners and which must be deposited in very tine lines by means of a brush. These cosmetics are generally sold in small bottles and applied by means of a brush which is dipped directly into the bottles after which it is used to trace a dark line. Several disadvantages result. Not only may the bottle be overturned at any moment, but each time the brush is dipped thereinto it is necessary to drain the excess fluid from the brush by tapping it on the edge of the neck of the bottle. This procedure is difficult to carry out with precision and almost always leaves too much of the fluid on the brush, so

that the beginning of the line is often wider and heavier I than its end. Moreover, each time that the brush is reintroduced into the bottle its handle is soiled by the fluid previously rubbed olf the brush onto the neck of the bottle, so that the fingers of the user soon become stained. These factors also lead to a waste of the iiuid.

Summary It is the purpose of the invention to provide an improved device Which avoids all the foregoing disadvantages, Which removes any excess fluid from the brush, and which smooths the bristles of the brush into a point, while simultaneously avoiding any soiling of the brush handle or of the fingers of the user.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a new article of manufacture which consists of a cooperating applicator and bottle, especially for uid cosmetics, which is essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises in combination a bottle surmounted by a brush, which brush is enclosed in a cap which closes the bottle. This device may also have the following characteristics, either singly or in combination:

(l) The bottle has a wide neck which narrows progressively as it approaches the inside of the bottle to a diameter which barely permits the end of the brush to pass therethrough while squeezing it slightly. The narrow part of the neck is provided with radial, transverse, or helical grooves.

(2) Between the narrow part of the neck and the inside of the bottle is a member made of rubber or some other elastic material and provided with a conical entrance leading into a hole small enough to smooth the bristles of the brush, which is followed by a part designed to hold the excess fluid initially picked up by handle and bristles of the brush.

(3) This rubber member has a cylindrical wall and an intermediate partition which is pierced by the hole for smoothing the bristles, and comprises an upper conical 3,471,244 Patented Oct. 7, 1969 ICC part which widens toward the top of the bottle and a lower conical part which narrows toward the interior thereof. These two parts are connected to the cylindrical wall by radial webs.

(4) This rubber member may simply be cup-shaped, with the hole for smoothing the bristles, of the brush surmounted by a conical entrance portion, said cup carrying on its lower surface a group of triangular ribs so positioned that they are caused to move toward the axis of the member when that member is deformed by withdrawal of the brush, and thereby rub off the excess fluid, and then llip this excess toward the periphery of the bottle when the cup suddenly ceases to be deformed.

(5) The brush comprises an inner cylindrical member encircled by and fixed to a shorter outer tube, and an intermediate tubular member slidably mounted on the inner and inside the outer member, and biassed toward the end of the brush by a spring.

In order that the invention may be better understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described, purely by way of example, and with reference to the annexed drawings in which:

Description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a partial axial cross-section taken through the device when in closed position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are like views taken through the device as the brush is being withdrawn for use;

FIG. 4 is an axial section taken through the mouthpiece of the bottle;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of this mouthpiece;

FIG. 6 is an axial section through another embodiment of this mouthpiece;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of this second mouthpiece; and

FIG. 8 is a partial axial section through the device showing an alternative embodiment of the rubber member.

Description of the preferred embodiment As will be seen from these figures, the device according to the invention comprises a lower part, constituting the bottle proper 1, surmounted by a special brush 2, and closed by a cup 3. When not in use, it takes the form of a cylindrical box.

The bottle 1 is formed with a neck 4 which is large enough to easily admit the brush, and which tapers from a cylindrical mouth progressively inward at 5 to terminate in a passage 6 through which the end 7 of the brush can just barely pass. These various parts are formed in a member 8, screwed onto the base 9, and, as shown on FIGS. 4 and 5, this member 8 is provided with a series of radial grooves 10 which extend from the connecting portion 5 through the narrow part 6 to the flat surface 11.

This member 8 also contains a member 12 which is made of a semi-elastic material, such as polyethylene, and which is provided with transverse grooves 13. The member 12 may consist of a stack of washers having thin inner edges 14, or be made in one piece and provided with a helically ribbed inner surface, and being itself helically slit in order to facilitate its removal. The thin edges 14 are preferably inclined toward the inside of the bottle as shown in the drawings and squeeze the cylindrical part 7 of the brush lightly as the brush is withdrawn from the bottle.

The member 12 is gripped between the flat part of the member 8 and the upper part of a member 15 which is seated inside the cylindrical part 9. Another member 16 having a bottom 17, is also seated in the part 9 and held there by inter-engaging threads 20. A rubber member 21 is positioned between the members 15 and 16 and is formed with an outer cylindrical wall 22 which supports an intermediate partition 23 pierced by a central hole 24. This partition 23 carries on its upper surface a conical part 25 which opens toward the mouth of the bottle and on its lower surface a conical part 26 which narrows toward the inside of the bottle, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The ribs or thin webs 27, which may be four in number, connect the two conical parts 25 and 26 to the cylindrical wall 22.

The hole 24 has a diameter barely large enough to permit the bristles of the brush to pass freely therethrough, and the lower hole in the conical part is the same size or even slightly smaller.

On the other hand, brush 2, positioned axially of the bottle, comprises the cylindrical part 7 and terminates in the bristles 28. The relatively thin upper part 29 of the brush is attached at its upper end 30 to the bottom of a tubular socket 31, as shown in the drawings. A tubular sleeve 32 encircles the part 7 and is preferably internally roughened. The sleeve 32 has a constricted portion 33 which abuts the shoulder between the member 29 and 7. At its other end the sleeve carries a collar which forms a grip for the fingers. Finally, -a spring 35 is mounted inside the socket 31 to constantly bias the tubular sleeve 32 away from the bottom of the socket 31.

When the applicator is to be used, the cap 3 is first removed, and the brush is then inserted in the bottle by pushing on the member 31, as shown in FIG. 2, after which the brush is withdrawn as shown on FIG. 3 and used immediately, holding it by the part 32, reintroducing it into the bottle as necessary in order to pick up a new supply of liquid.

Each time the brush is introduced into the bottle the tapered part 5 guides the bristles 28 into the narrow part 6 and thence to the member 12, thus preventing the bristles from becoming disordered and bending back on themselves. From then on the cylindrical part 7 of the brush is guided by the members 6 and 12 and the bristles are centered in the conical entrance 25 to the member 21, after which they pass through the hole 24, into the conical part 26, before reaching the fluid contained in the member 16. While the bristles are being introduced into the bottle, the sleeve 32 is being forced into the socket 31, thus compressing the spring 35, and the cylindrical part of the brush passes clear through the hole 24 in the rubber member 21.

When the brush is withdrawn from the bottle, the inverse movement is facilitated by the force exerted by the spring 35, that is to say, the cylindrical part 7 of the brush slides through the hole 24 in the rubber member at the same time that the part 26 successively removes from the rod 7 and the bristles 28 the excess fluid adhering thereto, which fluid is ordinarily rather Viscous. The bristles then pass through the hole 24 which restores the group of bristles to its original diameter, and smooths them so that they carry only a predetermined quantity of fluid, while at the same time bringing the end of the group to a point. The brush may then be freely withdrawn and used in a conventional manner, holding it by the tubular sleeve 32, which has been returned to its original position by the spring 35.

It 4will be particularly noted that each time the brush is introduced into the duid, especially when it is introduced while still carrying some fluid adhering thereto, some of this uid may be deposited on the parts 5 and 6, but because of the grooves 10, these small amounts of Huid are absorbed and eventually liow into the lower part of the bottle. The grooves 13 serve a similar purpose in the part 12. When the brush is withdrawn, the rod 7 is wiped clean of any trace of fluid by successive contacts with the member 26, the hole 24, and the edge 14 of the member 12. However, in passing through the part 6, it may be that the rod 7 will again pick up a little Huid which has just been returned to the bottle and has not been entirely -absorbed by the grooves 10. This presents no problem, since the ngers of the user never come in ,4 contact with the rod 7, which is enclosed within the sleeve 32 while the iluid is being applied.

It will thus be seen that it is impossible either to spill the bottle, because of the large number of bailles, or to have an excess amount of the fluid on the brush, since the latter receives each time a predetermined quantity of fluid which is in no way dependent on the level of the fluid in the bottle or on the dexterity of the user. Consequently, by perfectly dressing the brush and avoiding any -waste of the product, the apparatus is enabled to serve for a long time, even when it has only a small capacity for holding fluid.

The mouthpiece 8 may be made as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, that is to say, by eliminating the radial grooves 10 but increasing the length of the member 12 to cornpensate for this omission, thus increasing the number of edges 14 or the number of turns of the single edge 14, when this is helical.

In the foregoing it has been seen that when the brush is introduced and extracted, its cylindrical part is vigorously rubbed against the edge of the hole 24, and for safety, in order to avoid any bending back of the conical parts 25 and 26, these are connected by the webs 27 to the cylindrical wall 22, which webs pass through slots in edges of members 15 and 16.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 8, the rubber member 21 is replaced by a member 21a in which there is a flat partition 23 pierced by a hole 24 and surmounted by a conical entrance portion 25. However, the cylindrical wall may consist merely of a rim 22a. The conical part 26 is then replaced by a certain number of triangular ribs 36, which may be a dozen in number, and shaped as shown in FIG. 8.

When the brush is inserted in the bottle, these ribs or flaps contact the inner wall of the member 16 and limit the inward distortion of the partition 23, and the risk of inversion of the member 25. Contrariwise, when the brush is withdrawn, the partition 23 bows slightly toward the -top and the flaps 36 all move to the center and rub successively against the rod 7 and bristles 28 to remove any excess uid, much as the member 26 did. These ribs also resist inversion of the rubber member and this permits elimination of the webs 27 and the corresponding slots in the members 15 and 16. Moreover, when the rod 7 has passed all the way through the hole 24, the deformation of the rubber member ceases quite suddenly and the ribs 36 project the fluid which they have picked up quite vigorously against the wall 16, from which it falls back into the bottle.

It will of course be appreciated that the foregoing embodiment has been given purely by way of example and may be modified as to detail without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention.

In particular, a hollow stopper may be seated in the hole 24 in the conical part 26 of the member 21 to ensure against leakage during storage. When the applicator is first used, this stopper is pushed into the inside of the bottle by the end of the rod 7.

The invention also encompasses as a new article of manufacture, a brush or applicator for a fluid cosmetic comprising a sleeve and a two-part protective cover therefor which is attached to the sleeve, the inner part being retractable by means of an elastic member into an outer member when the sleeve is inserted into a bottle containing the uid, during which step the sleeve may be soiled by the liuid.

What is claimed is:

1. An applicator for fluids comprising in combination a hollow outer tube member (31), an elongated member (7, 29) within said tube, said inner member being fixed near one end to one end of said tube with the other end of said inner member extending beyond the other end of said tube member, bristle means carried by said other end of said inner member, an intermediate sleeve (32) adapted to be gripped by the ngers to manipulate the applicator, said sleeve encircling and being axially slidable on said inner member and with respect to said outer tube member, resilient means (3S) biassing said intermediate sleeve toward the bristle-carrying end of said inner member and cooperating stop means on one of said members and said intermediate sleeve positioned to stop the movement of said intermediate sleeve toward said bristle-carrying end of said inner member short of a position in which said sleeve reaches said bristles.

2. In combination an applicator as claimed in claim 1 and a Ibottle for holding said uid, said bottle having a neck (8) provided with an orifice (6) large enough to admit said inner member but too small to admit said intermediate sleeve, so that when said inner member is inserted in said bottle the edges of said orifice force said intermediate sleeve back into said outer tube against the resistance of said resilient means (35).

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 in which the orifice in said neck is elongated axially of said neck and the inner surface of said orice is provided with longitudinal grooves (10).

4. The combination claimed in claim 2 in which said neck comprises an entrance portion tapering gradually inward toward said orice.

5. The combination claimed in claim 2 comprising means for releasably holding said applicator on said bottle with the end of said inner member nearest said bristles biassed against said orifice.

6. The combination claimed in claim 2 in which said bottle carries a resilient web means (12 or 23) having a central hole in alignment with said orice inwardly of said bottle, said hole being dimensioned to wipe the sides of said inner member as it is inserted into said bottle.

7. The combination claimed in claim 6 in which said resilient web means is formed with a frusto-conical entrance portion (25) on its outer surface which narrows as it approaches the inside of said bottle, and a plurality of radial flaps (36) on its inner surface, said aps having inner edges which diverge toward the inside of said bottle.

8. The combination claimed in claim 6 in Which said resilient web means (23) is formed with frusto-conical entrance and exit portions (25 and 26) coaxial with said hole, and tapering inwardly as they approach the inside of said bottle.

9. The combination claimed in claim 8 in which said frusto-conical exit and entrance portions are reinforced by webs (26) extending radially therefrom and lying in planes passing through the axis of said frusto-exit and entrance portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 207,256 8/ 1878 Crane 401-123 X 580,013 4/1897 Smith 401--121 610,103 8/1898 Taylor 401-122 X 2,498,266 2/ 1950 Guagliano 401123 X 2,703,898 3/ 1955 Kellett 401-122 X 2,736,050 2/1956 Lee 401-122 3,280,421 10/ 1966 Davidson 401-122 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner HARLAND S. SKOGQUTST, Assistant Examiner Us. C1. Xn. 401-109, 117 

